It's Here! Befriending the Beast | giveaway and fun stuff

Wow. How did I get here? When I think back to that one question...

It was just going to be a short story. And, it was just going to be "an idea for sometime." Within three months (THREE MONTHS!), the Lord had given me time, ideas, and help to make one question into a novella and published. Wow! I'm seriously overwhelmed here, y'all!

First things first. A few weeks back, I had a little guessing game, for how many words would end up in Belle's story. I didn't know what this number would end up being, and it was such a blast to see over fifty people join in the fun! My personal guesstimation was that Befriending the Beast would end up being 14,000 words. I was one of the closer guessers (no, this wasn't on purpose), but several people guessed even closer to the final word count than I did.

So, what was the final word count? According to Microsoft Word...

14,409!!

The closest guesser was Eliza Noel! She guessed 14,389 words and will get a paperback copy of Befriending the Beast. Runner-up was Alicia Ruggieri, who guessed 14,372 words, and will receive an eBook.

Yep, about double my original word count. :) 

But, maybe you've not heard anything about the story yet. So let's move on to Belle...

In case you can't watch the trailer, here's about the book:

Belle has returned unannounced to the castle to restore her relationship with the king, her father. Her hopes are dashed with the devastating message: "The king refuses to see you." Convinced that God has led her home, she is unwilling to return to Lord and Lady Kiralyn.

Time is running out for the decision that will change her life. When tragedy strikes, will she and her father be pulled further apart or knit together? Could she stay at the castle even if she will never see her father again?

And, as I like all things reduced-prized and free, here's two things I don't want you to miss out on!

1) Reduced price!

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L2IDEUQ#nav-subnav

2) Giveaway! (of course)

U.S. Giveaway: Enter to win one of two paperback copies of "Befriending the Beast"

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/483ac2ab18/?

International Giveaway: Enter to win one of two eBook copies of "Befriending the Beast"

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/483ac2ab19/?

One last thing: if you're on FaceBook, author Faith Blum and I are joining together to have a super fun party this afternoon (2-4 Central Time) to celebrate the releases of our new works. Of course you're invited to join us, if you're on FB!

Five Fall Favorites - Day Five

This is the last day I'm participating in the Five Fall Favorites and I've had a blast! Don't forget, there's a giveaway at another blog's book room PLUS the grand-prize giveaway on Rebekah's blog, so check out the other blogs! And, one more thing... Rebekah put together a FFF Survey -- how did YOU like this party? Fill out the form and get a free eBook short story! (and thank you -- because your feedback will help make future parties even better!)

Today's five favorites are a little challenging. I need to think back over a decade. ;) But we'll see how I can do...

5 Favorite Middle-Grade Books

I'm guessing at what goes in this category, to be honest. ;) Some of these I remember loving, but it's been a while since I've read them so I don't have a review.\

1) Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

2) Adventures and Adversities by Sarah Holman

3) The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

4) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

5) Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracy Michelle Leininger

Children/Picture
I shouldn't have to think this hard. I really, really shouldn't. After all, I have seven younger siblings and I know I've read them all books since I myself read them. But I still had to rack my brain!

1) Counting Blessings by Eileen Spinelli

2) Little Jewel books by Rod and Staff (various books by various authors)

  

3) I Spy by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo
 

4) If You Give a Moose a Muffin (and others in this series) by Laura Joffe Numeroff

5) A Little Girl after God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George

5 Other Blogs

Want to read more favorites? Click on the images to hop over to these blogs and see what they have to share. Don't forget: one of these blogs is having a giveaway today!

Be sure to stop by Rebekah's blog for the big giveaway!! It ends tonight!! (note: giveaway includes an "idea jar" as well as paperback copies of the featured books).

Lesa McKee | Author Interview

I'm happy to have one of my newer author-friends here on the blog today with her newest release!

In a nutshell, what do you write​?​

I write feel good fiction. Everything I write tends to have a bit of humor in it. I love the combo of faith and fun. I have a short story series coming out soon, ‘Operation Space Cats’ that reflects this sentiment. And another in the works. A Christian historical romance series, ‘Bridal Falls’.

I love humor in writing (and in life in general ;) ). What spurred on the desire for writing​?​I had one interviewer ask me if I thought writing was a gift or a curse. And I told her a gift because God doesn’t make mistakes.:) So I think of writing (just as my love of singing) as a calling.

Couldn't agree more! How do you balance writing with living -- or is writing your full-time job?

Writing is my full-time (unpaid as of yet) job. It’s my dream job, and I want to make the most of it.

Nothing better than being able to do your dream job! Who do you hope to reach with your writing?

I think Christian parents/ homeschooling moms (and the kiddos) would LOVE the Operation Space Cats series. The cats are fun, but they also teach lessons in faith along the way. At the end of each book there’s a list of questions for kids to ponder that recaps the lessons in the book.

Bridal Falls is more a Christian woman’s read. Those who love a smile served up with their sweet (and clean) romance. Faith, of course will be on the menu.

Sounds like a fun series! If someone asked you for your best writing tip, what would it be?

Find some critique partners, and learn how to critique (and how to gracefully accept your work being critiqued). I had no idea how much there was to learn about writing (I mean, I’d been an avid reader all my life) until I joined a critiquing site, submitted my stories, and bam! My perfect storylines were riddled with <gasp!> bad writing mistakes. The whole critiquing process made me a much better writer, and I’m still improving.:)

Fantastic tip! I have definitely learned a lot from my critique partners! What are three things that you greatly enjoy doing?

Other than writing and reading? Since that’s pretty obvious.:)

Flower shopping, and flower & container designing. Spring is the best time for this! I look forward to it all winter.:)

I love to bake. I always wanted to open a little bakery, and in another interview I did I mentioned I should combine these two loves (writing and baking) and open an Indie books & cupcake shop.

I would name each cupcake after a fellow Indie author, and design their cupcake around their latest book. How about a Vanilla bean cupcake with strawberry filling and cheesecake frosting with a miniature train on top for yours, Amanda? :)

I love it!! Those happen to be flavors I love too. :P Delicious!

ABOUT LESA

Lesa McKee grew up at her Grandmother's knee, listening to the French folk-tales her animated Grandma Ida shared. A love of stories was born and her imagination took off!
She’s now living her dream as a Christian Indie writer of feel-good fiction, including a short story series of far-out space cats, titled 'Operation Space Cats'. These purrific feline adventures are filled with faith, friendship & fun!

Connect with Lesa online:http://lesamckee.com/
http://lesamckee.com/blog/

http://www.amazon.com/Lesa-McKee/e/B01GD3JX28/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_2

https://www.facebook.com/lesa.mckee/

https://twitter.com/MckeeLesa

https://www.pinterest.com/mckeelesa/

Five Fall Favorites - Day Four

Perhaps it's a little early in the morning for bonfires... but still. The weather is changing (slower in these Southern states, but it's changing), and reading by the fire is nothing but cozy!

5 Favorite Western Books

I actually haven't read many western books that give me the western feel I'm looking for. I love the era, the genre, but when I think about "western books," it's hard for me to suddenly list five. But here are some that I enjoy nevertheless.

1) Everyday Life in the Wild West by Candy Moulton

2) Shane by Jack Schaefer

3) The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill by Andrea Warren

4) Hymns of the West series by Faith Blum
    

5) A Treasure Concealed by Tracie Peterson

5 Favorite Inspirational Books

Maybe I did a little cheating in listing "five" below (er, maybe I've been cheating all week...). ;) You be the judge, but I enjoy this genre...

1) Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall and Debbie Jones

2) The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

3) Elizabeth George's Bible Studies (Philippians, 1 Peter, others)

  

4) Louder than Words by Andy Stanley

5) A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 and The Good Shepherd and His Sheep by W. Phillip Keller

  

5 Other Blogs

Want to read more favorites? Click on the images to hop over to these blogs and see what they have to share. Don't forget: one of these blogs is having a giveaway today!

Be sure to stop by Rebekah's blog for the big giveaway!! It ends tomorrow (note: giveaway includes an "idea jar" as well as paperback copies of the featured books).